https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news.atomKimmie Candy - News2019-03-11T13:43:00-07:00Kimmie Candyhttps://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/reflecting-on-kimmie-candys-time-at-the-white-house2019-03-11T13:43:00-07:002019-03-11T13:44:03-07:00Reflecting on Kimmie Candy's time at the White HouseJonathon James
The farmer-turned-candy maker says that Made-in-America confectionery manufacturers do “make a difference” in the communities where they reside. “It’s good to have a strong manufacturing base, which helps make the local economy strong.”

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When President Donald Trump announced he was going to showcase American-made products at the White House during the “Made in America” week, the obvious question soon sprung up. How were the companies to be selected?

But as Press Secretary Sean Spicer explained, the administration sought input from governors and members of Congress, “then working within the different offices here, an ultimate selection was made.”

Hence, one expected to see quite a variety of “home-made” items at the White House, everything from a Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopter and Cat 966 M wheel loader from Caterpillar — Connecticut and Illinois, respectively — to door hinges from the Beehler Corp. and baseball bats by Marucci Sports, those companies representing Missouri and Louisiana.

Fortunately, U.S.-made candy was also present. None other than Reno-based Kimmie Candy Co., maker of ChocoRocks® and Sunbursts®, were chosen to represent the “Silver State.”

Joe Dutra, president and CEO of Kimmie Candy, said he didn’t know his company had been selected until Wednesday-a few days before the event was to take place.

“There was a phone call from the Western U.S. representative from the White House for me, but I was out,” he told Candy Industry. “My receptionist thought it was some kind of a scam, but I decided to call back anyway.

“When I reached the White House on the following day, Thursday, I knew it was for real,” he continued. “She told me that I’d have to have the product shipped by Friday. Of course, all of this was to be kept quiet and embargoed regarding the press till Saturday.”

As to why Kimmie Candy was chosen over — as the Las Vegas Review Journal speculated — Tesla Motors, which produces batteries at its GigaFactory in Sparks, Nev., Dutra pointed out a couple of reasons.

“First, we made a conscious effort to bring our overseas manufacturing to the United States,” to Reno, Nev., he says. “Also, we were the first candy company in 60 years to win the President’s “E” Award for Exports last year.”

The President’s “E” Award for Exports is given to firms that demonstrate a sustained commitment to growing export sales. It was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961

Additionally, in 2012, Dutra was invited by then Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to accompany him on a trade mission to China.

Kimmie Candy, which moved its manufacturing base from Korea to Reno in 2008, currently employs 48 workers. In early 2017, it completed a move from its 16,000-sq.-ft.-facility to a newly refurbished, 45,000-sq.-ft. plant designed to accommodate growth. Total investment, including land, construction, moving costs and new equipment topped $4.5 million.

“We will be able to produce between 4 to 5 million lbs. of candy annually now,” Dutra says.

Prior to leaving for Washington, D.C., Dutra had special red-white-and-blue ChocoRocks made as well as “Trump Rocks” candy, which was packaged in a special tube.

“We had a 10-by-6 booth in the Entrance Hall of the White House, which was next to a 1939 Steinway piano, which featured gold leaf decorations and gilded American eagle legs,” he explained.

“The President tasted our new salted caramel PretzelBites™, which he seemed to like. He thanked us for creating American jobs.”

Dutra points out that it wasn’t only the president making the rounds of the Made in America booths and displays. He was accompanied by the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, Members of Congress, and his senior staff.

“Vice President Pence took a liking to our Trump Rocks tube,” he says.

The farmer-turned-candy maker says that Made-in-America confectionery manufacturers do “make a difference” in the communities where they reside. “It’s good to have a strong manufacturing base, which helps make the local economy strong.”

In reflecting on his six-hour visit — “I didn’t believe it was actually happening until I passed through security in the White House” — Dutra mentioned his booth was next to a portrait of President Ronald Regan, one of his heroes.

“I was thinking wouldn’t it be nice if Donald Trump took a liking to our PretzelBites™ and did something for us as Reagan did with Jelly Belly,” he laughed. “One can dream, right?”

Definitely. Seems like one of Dutra’s dreams has already been realized.

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/kimmie-candy-to-be-honored-as-ncet-s-2019-food-manufacturer-processing-company-of-the-year2019-03-08T14:11:00-08:002019-03-08T14:11:33-08:00Kimmie Candy to be Honored as NCET’s 2019 Food Manufacturer / Processing Company of the Year!Jonathon JamesFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RENO, Nevada (March 6, 2019) — NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, announced Kimmie Candy Company as the 2019 Food Manufacturer/Processing Company of the Year! This award is presented to the company that demonstrates technological innovation in the manufacturing and processing of wholesale food products, and that achieves significant growth in both sales/revenue and local employment. (Note: this category does NOT include restaurants or other retail food services.)

Now in its 12th year, the NCET Technology Awards celebrate the Northern Nevada individuals and companies who have greatly enhanced the growth and prestige of the technology community; while the EDAWN Awards recognize the people and resources that have played an integral part in contributing to the growth of our community. The NCET and EDAWN Awards will be presented on March 28, at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, at 5 p.m. Tickets and more information is available online here.

A bit about this year’s Food Manufacturer/Processing Award recipient: Kimmie Candy Company began manufacturing in Reno, Nevada, in 2007, with a staff of only seven employees. Ten years later, the company relocated around the corner from the original Reactor Way factory, expanding operations into a facility on Edison Way that is triple the size. Kimmie now boasts over 50 full-time employees. With this growth came the addition of new, state-of-the-art, candy-making equipment and processes, thereby allowing the company to streamline its operational efficiencies.

In May 2016, Kimmie Candy received a rare honor—a Presidential E-Award for excellence in exporting. Presented by Penny Pritzer, the Secretary of Commerce, Kimmie Candy was the first candy company ever to win the award and only the ninth company from the State of Nevada! And, on July 17, 2017, Kimmie Candy was invited to the White House to represent the State of Nevada at the first-ever, Made in America Expo!

Kimmie specializes in producing two primary types of candy products: 1) candy-coated, flavored chocolate, and 2) chocolate-coated nuts in candy shells. Over the years, the company has developed several lines of highly popular products including its flagship chocolates: Sunbursts® and Chocorocks®. All of Kimmie Candy's products are gluten-free, peanut-free, kosher, and 100% manufactured in the U.S.A.

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/one-view-keeping-positive-relations-with-mexico-makes-economic-sense2016-12-06T00:00:00-08:002017-10-12T16:51:04-07:00One View: Keeping Positive Relations with Mexico Makes Economic SenseJonathon JamesKimmie Candy President and CEO Joe Dutra recently wrote an article in the Reno Gazette Journal that has also been featured in The Spanish English Newspaper : La Voz Hispana En Nevada:

Maintaining Positive Relations with México Makes Good Economic Sense

Reno Gazette Journal, September 23, 2016

By Joe Dutra,President & CEO of Kimmie Candy

Whether you are for or against Donald's Trump's recent visit to Mexico, the trip speaks volumes about just how significant Mexico truly is to the U.S. both as a close neighbor, and as a key trading partner.

I intimately understand how important a robust relationship with Mexico is to the steadily growing number of Mexican Immigrants into Nevada, whether as legal immigrants or otherwise, coupled with the alignment of values held by the populaces of each of our countries, suggest it is vital that we strengthen our relationship with Mexico on all levels.

I sell approximately half a million pounds of chocolate into Mexico each year. This accounts for roughly 10 percent of my company's annual sales; and is directly responsible for about four of the 36 people Kimmie Candy employs locally. Mexico was one of the first, and remains my company's largest trading parent. This sales volume, created through exporting, allows me to contribute not only to the local community, but to the overall economy, as well.

While I am proud of our ability to contribute, my small company is just a slice of a much larger pie. The close proximity of the state of Nevada to Mexico has bred extensive partnerships between the two entities, with bilateral trade, impressively, having accounted for $924 million in 2015! Mexico, in point of fact, ranks fourth as both Nevada's largest export and supply market; with Mexican goods accounting for five percent of Nevada's $476 million in imports during that same year. Just as importantly, are the jobs this trade generates within our state-as many as 55,000...and counting.

On a national level, Mexico ranks as the second largest, for U.S. goods, in the world. So, it is easy to see h ow bilateral trade benefits both of our countries! When Mexicans buy U.S.-produced goods and services, like mine, they help create jobs within the U.S.-economy. And in the long-term, as Mexico Continues to develop economically its demand for U.S. goods will mirror that growth.

Trade is not the only benefit that stems from maintaining close ties with our southern partner, as there is a large number of Mexican companies that actively invest in the U.S. These ventures also create jobs, thousands of them, within a wide range of sectors. Strong growing economies, on both of the border, backed by governments committed not only to healthy reform, but to a sincere, solid, mutually beneficial relationship, will insure this positive trend continues far into the future. It is obvious to me, that maintaining a good relationship with Mexico makes sound economic sense, on both the state and national levels. Trade with Mexico is not only a one-way street,. Both sides benefit with six million U.S. jobs dependent on Mexican trade. Our economies and businesses are intertwined. Growth within the Mexican economy matters for America, and vice-versa. Let's see what we can do to support this growth, rather than shutting it down!

Booth 156-- Kimmie Candy Co. received a President's "E" Award for Exports, which is given to U.S. entities that make a significant contribution to the expansion of the U.X. exports, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Kimmie is the first confectionery manufacture ever to receive the honor.

The award is given to firms that demonstrate a sustained commitment to growing export sales, according to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. The company's reformulation of products for foreign markets was particularly notable as was it's increase in jobs related to export sales, she noted.

Joseph Dutra, Kimmie president and CEO, said: "I have spent a lot of my career in overseas markets. Because of this, I understand the important of exporting, and the significant contribution overseas markets can have on a company's bottom line."

During the past four to five years, exports have increased from 3 percent of Kimmie's gross sales to 15 percent. Dutra told Candy & Snack TODAY. He added that winning the award is a true honor, as a food manufacturers and agricultural companies only comprise 5 percent of the President's "E" Award winners since the honor's inception in 1964.

Further, Dutra explained that as globalization continues and trade barriers are dismantled, U.S. exports will "flourish as more and more companies wake up to the fact that 96 percent of their prospective, new customers are located outside the U.S."

This year's 123 award recipients contributed to the U.S.'s $2.23 trillion of exports during 2015, according to the Department of Commerce.

Reno, Nevada - On Monday, May 16th, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented Kimmie Candy with the President's "E" Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The President's "E" Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports."Kimmie Candy Company has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The "E" Awards Committee was very impressed with Kimmie Candy's growth in employment related to export sales. The company's modification of products for foreign markets was also particularly notable. Kimmie Candy's achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs." said Secretary Pritzker in her congratulatory letter to the company announcing its selection as an award recipient.Kimmie Candy specializes in producing an outstanding line of chocolate confections, including Sunbursts(r), and their prestigious, "Product of the Year" award-winning ChocoRocks(r). And, most recently, with innovation and a sensitivity to consumer's needs in mind, the company has branched out into all natural, certified organic, and nutritional chocolate products. All of Kimmie's products are gluten-free, peanut-free, kosher, and are 100% Made in the U.S.A.

"As a relatively small company in the often overlooked agricultural/food market segment, we are both thrilled and honored to receive the President's "E" Award this year! I have spent a lot of my career in overseas markets. Because of this, I understand the importance of exporting, and the significant contribution overseas markets can have on a company's bottom line. I believe that as the world continues to "shrink", and trade barriers crumble, U.S. exports will flourish as more and more companies wake up to the fact that 96% of their prospective, new customers are located outside the U.S." said Joseph Dutra, Kimmie Candy's President and CEO.

In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II "E" symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters.On Monday, Secretary Pritzker honored 123 U.S. companies with the President's "E" Award

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/kimmie-candy-and-send-me-gluten-frees-back-to-school-box2015-08-17T08:30:00-07:002017-10-12T16:38:33-07:00Kimmie Candy and Send Me Gluten Free's BACK TO SCHOOL BoxJonathon James

Kimmie Candy will be included in SEND ME GLUTEN FREE's upcoming "Back to School" September box so it's a great time to Subscribe and try it! They are offering a special discount code too! If you enter SCHOOL25 at checkout, you get 25% off a 3, 6 or 12 mo subscription! To get this deal, order by Wed. 8/26. You can do so by going to www.sendmeglutenfree.com.

WHO THEY ARE..

Send Me Gluten Free is a monthly subscription service that introduces you to new gluten free products. You’ll get full-size and sample size food, personal care items, supplements and household products that support your gluten free lifestyle.

WHAT THEY DO..

Each month they send you 8-10 new gluten free products to try that will include at least 1 full-sized item. You’ll get full-size and sample size food, personal care items, supplements and household products that support your gluten free lifestyle. Note: Contents of each box may differ in any given month.

WHY THEY DO IT..

Their mission is to help the gluten free community by providing great resources and fun ways to try new products that are safe for you and your family. That mission is so important to them because they get it...most of their team lives gluten free. They know first-hand how difficult it can be to find the best products and they're here to make all of that easier with their monthly subscription box.

A LITTLE HISTORY..

While Send Me Gluten Free is shiny and new, they have been helping the gluten free community for a pretty long time. They’ve hosted the Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expos since 2007, helping thousands of people discover new gluten free products and learn how to make their lifestyle easier. In 2010, they launched the mobile app Find Me Gluten Free. It quickly became the #1 gluten free restaurant finder app, and has since added thousands of listings to help people just like you find safe places to eat locally and when traveling.

While they have seven cities on their expo tour, there are a lot of people in between that just can’t make it to one. They like to think of Send Me Gluten Free as an “expo in a box” for you to try new gluten free products right in your home. And while the Find Me Gluten Free app has been helping people find places to eat, and smartphones seem to be able to do just about anything, the technology just isn’t there yet to try out new products on your phone. So until that day comes, Send Me Gluten Free will have to do!

Joma Organics is our new, certified organic confectionery manufacturing facility located in Reno on Double Diamond Parkway. We resolved to move forward with this new organic facility after looking at the clear trend that showed the future is full of consumers wanting more variety and excellence in their choices in the organic and natural product market. This market has been distinguishing itself by growing faster than the traditional confectionery market and we believe it will be a substantial market in the future.

Coinciding with the launch of this facility, we are launching our Organic Dark and Milk Chocolate Joma Jewels. These are an organic version of a lentil, known better to consumers as a product similar to an M&M. While we are super excited about their great taste, we are also taking a cue from our Kimmie Candy customers’ favorites to make an Organic Milk Chocolate ChocoRock, as well as, an Xpressos Rock.

As we look to what’s next, we envision a time when we will outgrow this new organic manufacturing facility. At that point, Kimmie Candy Company would potentially move into a larger facility and Joma would move into the existing Kimmie Candy factory.

For now, it's a very exciting time. The launch of the new Joma products means new packaging; and of course, we like to keep things interesting, so we have several new products in development for this organic facility that will be launched in the months to come.

2) “And the 2015 Nominees are..”

Salted Caramel ChocoRocks and Peppermint ChocoRocksOur 2 Nominees for Innovative Product of the Year

3) “Food Factory in the house!”

Canadian Food Network showFood Factoryfilmed a second episode at Kimmie Candy Company recently. While the first episode had focused on how ChocoRocks are created, Food Factory returned to film a segment focusing their attention on our candy coated chocolatey sunflower kernel product called Sunbursts. We have just reviewed the initial cut of the episode and returned our input for a few small edits. Most likely this episode will air during the summertime of 2015 and periodically throughout the end of this year and 2016. We have a great time with the whole process and enjoy showing the world how the most beloved Kimmie Candy Company products are made!

4)” Anything else on the horizon at Kimmie?”

In addition to a variety of new, delicious products in the works, there are fun mixes of existing Kimmie favorites that we have been playing around with. We are looking at adding an additional storage building to our facility to increase our packaging capacity.

We are now in Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby, Ross, and will soon be in Cracker Barrel restaurants across United States! We have exported our first shipment of candy to Dubai and are also in the formative stages of great projects in the UK and South America.

And finally, a reminder..

5) “We love what we do!”

We do love what we do, as well as, our customers and our peers in the candy industry! This coming week we are headed to SWEETS AND SNACKS EXPO 2015 where we will see many of them!

This expo is the candy & snacks industry's most successful, world class event and the only show that represents all of the major U.S. distribution channels of confectionery and snack products in one location. More than 3 1/2 acres of candy & snack items in 1 place! More than 650 manufacturers of chocolate, candy, gum, salty snacks, cookies, packaged cakes, biscuits, popcorn, granola bars, breakfast snacks, nutrition bars, meat snacks, fruit snacks, nuts, seeds, packaged goods and ice cream. Attendees include more than 16,000 industry professionals including buyers and buying teams, merchandisers, wholesalers, category managers, store owners and executives, importers, exporters, suppliers and brokers.

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/kimmie-candy-company-through-the-eyes-of-lindsey-cortes-a-research-paper2014-09-03T11:02:00-07:002017-10-12T16:24:13-07:00Kimmie Candy Company through the eyes of Lindsey Cortes (a research paper)Jonathon James
Kimmie Candy CompanyLindsey CortesMG-488Professor Lawrence Tam

AbstractI decided to do my research/logistics paper and presentation on Kimmie Candy Company, a local candy factory in Reno, NV. Being a Reno native myself, it really hits home for me. I’ve seen their candy everywhere, but never imagined it was being made here in my back yard. I had the privilege of working with Kimmie Candy last year on a fundraiser for Reno/Sparks Relay for Life. I was also given a tour of their facility and saw how all their creations were made. In their gift shop, they have a taste bar of samples of everything they make to taste and sample before customers can make their purchase.

HistoryEstablished in 2000, Kimmie Candy Company was started by Joe Dutra on his family farm in Sacramento, CA. The farm was part of an international agriculture seed business and has stayed a family affair even since. Though manufacturing was moved offshore to Korea; as the business began to grow, the search was on for a USA manufacturing location (Kimmie Candy, 2014).In 2004, they decided it was time to bring Kimmie Candy back to the United States and create American jobs. The Dutra family chose Reno, Nevada because of its business-friendly climate and close proximity to California, their home state. Kimmie Candy Company bought a building in 2006 and built the factory in 2007. It had its first full year of production in 2008 and has been growing exponentially ever since (Kimmie Candy, 2014).Today, Kimmie Candy proudly states, "Made in America" on every package. Since opening the Reno factory in 2007, the Company has grown from 7 to 25 employees. Even during 2010's challenging economic times, Kimmie Candy still grew by 40 percent; Dutra remains determined to continue creating jobs and opportunity in the USA so that like him, others can also know The American Dream (Kimmie Candy, 2014).

Facility Warehouse LocationWith the goal of creating more American jobs in 2004, Dutra relocated himself and the previously-offshore Korean manufacturing operation of Kimmie Candy to Reno, Nevada. By 2007, he had purchased an industrial building and converted it to what is now Kimmie Candy's state-of-the art candy production facility. By 2008, Kimmie Candy Company of Reno was in full operation. By 2009, the company had experienced global expansion with not only coast-to-coast sales in the United States but also Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, and the Middle East (Kimmie Candy, 2014).

ProcurementKimmie Candy uses local suppliers for their materials. One of their biggest raw materials is chocolate that is specially made which they go through 40,000 pounds every 7-10 days. Lead time for their chocolate is 4-6 weeks, for organic chocolate, lead time is 8-12 weeks due to the fact it can take up to 100 days to produce. Kimmie uses many unique and various suppliers for their raw material. One particular supplier, Blommer Chocolates, has readily available sometimes double supply depending on Kimmie’s needs and demand.Sugar is another raw material which is purchased in large quantities, 8,000 pounds at a time. Other raw materials contain almonds, pistachios, reactor coating, and ingredients for natural coloring. All shipped raw materials are passed through quality control to review specifications. To Kimmie Candy, supplier loyalty is very important to than price especially when there’s a relationship established.When they’re in need of new suppliers, they use the 80/20 rule, which is finding the products or services that generate the most income (the 20%) and drop the rest (the 80%) that only provide marginal benefit (W.C. Benton, 2014)An estimate of how much material they will need over two months will help with how much material to reordering, which is processed electronically. Kimmie Candy Company is making moves to be greener and have less of an impact on the environment.

Order ManagementCustomers can purchase and sample Kimmie Candy Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm at their gift shop in Reno. Also available to purchase at any of the retailers, online, and distributors listed above using any monetary means. There are operation cost to the company for these types of orders which are; credit card processing fees, administration, labor, paper, postage and packaging. Their priority orders can be requested by phone, email, online or in person.The quality control team inspects every batch of candy to ensure it’s to the standards of the company before packaging.

Customer ServiceToday there are about 35 team members working at Kimmie Candy, they all work together to monitor customer service management. The company is open to feedback using Facebook, Twitter, Factory, their online site, email, by phone or in person. Their blog is on their site to share updates and news that’s happening within the company.They also offer free factory tours which gives their customers or anyone would wants to see how their delicious candy is made. Contact tours@kimmiecandy.com or 1-888-532-1325 to schedule or make a reservation.

Inventory ManagementWhen more supplies are needed, depending on the material’s inventory or demand a purchase order is produced in the accounting department and electronically sent to the supplier if it’s not already set up to automatically be delivered. All dead or defected inventories are sold at a discounted price, not destroyed unless expired.

Warehouse ManagementThe Kimmie Candy facility in Reno is 20,000 square feet although the actual manufacturing warehouse is 6,000 square feet. Because of the size of the warehouse and limited space they also have a third party logistics storing warehouse where extra inventory is stored. The rental fee is $5.00 per pallet per month, as well as the loading fee.

Packages and HandlingLarge shipments are packaged and delivered in bulk. Naturally, the only special consideration the candy needs is low temperature, high heat would melt the chocolate in their packaging. Something special about their packaging it does say ‘Made in America, peanut and gluten free.”

TransportationKimmie Candy arranges transportation pick up for their supplies. For large distributors, needing large pallets of product, these companies arrange for pick up. Truck is the main transportation. For international orders, the products are delivered by plane.

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/2014-reno-nv-pops-on-the-river2014-08-21T13:43:00-07:002017-10-12T16:23:39-07:002014, Reno,NV Pops on the RiverJonathon JamesJoe Dutra along with friends and family celebrated with the Reno Philharmonic's celebration of Bravo Broadway as they commemorated 20 years of Pops. It was a day of good music, laughs, talking with old and new friends, great food, wine, themes, costumes, prizes and plenty of fun in Downtown Reno's Wingfield Park. Each table was uniquely decorated and of course representing Reno, NV. In a very sweet way Kimmie Candy Company made their own sign that read The Biggest Little Candy Company in the World to look identical to the Reno arch downtown. There was a river of chocolate that flowed through the middle of the table to represent the Truckee River and the whole table dressed up as characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, including Mr. Joe Dutra as Willy Wonka of course. With great costumes and a beautifully creative table Kimmie Candy Company was presented with the Spirit of Reno award. All in all it was a wonderful day and everyone is excited for next year.

Kimmie Candy CEO Joe Dutra was honored to be part of the delegation accompanying Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval on his first Canada trade mission. It was a historic event in that it was the first trade mission from a Nevada Governor to Canada ever!

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Sandoval leads trade mission to Canada

April 17, 2014

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Gov. Brian Sandoval is heading a delegation of Nevada business and education leaders on a trade mission to Canada.

Meetingswith Canadian officials are scheduled this week in Ottawa and Toronto. Sandoval'sofficesays one focus of the trade mission will be unmanned aerial systems and Nevada's role in helping to develop the technology and applications for the emerging industry.

Othersectorsthe state will highlight include water technology, indoor agriculture and mining.

Canada is Nevada's thirdlargesttradepartnerand the governor says the Nevada delegation is hoping to build upon that relationship.

***

There were approximately 10 business men and women from Nevada represented on the trade mission; as well as approximately 25 governmental, university and business development staff with the Governor as such as the Head Deans of various schools at UNR and UNLV who were developing programs with Canadian universities.

Joe first flew to Montréal on April 14thand stayed two nights at the first Ritz-Carlton in the world. It was a wonderful hotel and yet not very expensive for their delegation. This was just one benefit of traveling with the Governor.

The weather was very cold – snowing and sleeting as he had several meetings in Montréal with gift buyers and nut companies.

The delegation then flew to Toronto, Canada on the 16thand had a number of meetings with dignitaries from the Canadian government.

Joe also met with the founder of Barrick Gold in Canada, Mr. Peter Munk. He presented him with ChocoRocks and our new Salted Caramel ChocoRocks as a gift from the state of Nevada.

One of their speakers was the 18thPrime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney. He was Prime Minister during the Reagan administration. Joe says he was one of the most eloquent speakers he has ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Joe also had the pleasure of being interviewed by a Portuguese journalist covering the Trade Mission:

(We included a rough translation of the article first & original article in Portuguese next just for kicks!)

***

Toronto Canada 27 April Lusa

An entrepreneur and a Portuguese Descendent from Nevada in the United States of America, he was nominated for the highest prize of the Candy Industry in that country. Joseph Dutra, 61 years old, is the Owner and CEO of Kimmie Candy Company and is nominated for the Kettle Awards- in what is the greatest recognition within the industry of sweets in United States. The ceremony will take place on May 20 in Chicago, at The Union League Club of Chicago.

"This year I was nominated for the Kettle Awards, one of the biggest honors you can have in the production of the candy industry. On May 20 in Chicago I will know if I will win or not at the Sweet and Snacks Expo ", said the businessman to the agency Lusa.

The third generation Luso (Portuguese) descendent was in Toronto, Canada, as part of the entourage of the Governor of Nevada, Brian Sandoval, in a business mission as a commercial representative of that province. Canada is Nevada’s third largest trading partner. Joseph Dutra, explained that his grandfather has origins in Faial (Azores), having emigrated to Sacramento, Calif., with only 18 years of age.

At an early stage, the candies were produced in a factory in South Korea, which was later acquired and brought to the United States in 2008, to Reno, where the candy factory is located. It provides markets for nine countries.

In 2003, Kimmie Candy via its reference product "Choco Rocks" won the award "Product of the Year" in Candy Awards which took place in Long Beach, California.

According to Joseph Dutra, next year Kimmie Candy should be on the European market, in particular "in Portugal". But to do that, it will be necessary to adapt the products to European Union standards "by changing a few ingredients".

"I'm Portuguese, grew up with good food, and created the candy to have a great taste, and to look beautiful like Portuguese women," he praised.

OurMISSION at Kimmie Candy Company is to be on the road to sustainability by making purposeful choices that lessen our Environmental and Ecological footprint:

SOURCE REDUCTION:

We reduced cardboard usage by 25% by switching to a new, more eco-friendly box.

REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT:

We retro-fitted the factory with energy-efficient lighting reducing our energy usage by 13%.

REDUCE SUSTAINABLE FOOTPRINT:

We've installed waterless urinals which reduces our water usage an average of 36,000 gallons of water per year.

REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:

We recycle 100% of our discarded cardboard.

WE BUY LOCAL:

We are committed to continuously increasing amount of materials we buy locally to manufacture our Kimmie Candy product line.

WE BUY IN BULK:

We avoid emissions created when packaging individual items by getting our manufacturing materials delivered in bulk.

***

At Kimmie Candy Company, we know that the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. We will continue to take these steps knowing that with little changes come big impact.

We look forward to growing in sustainability as we grow as a company. The possibilities are endless!

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/tis-the-season-for-giving2013-11-26T16:28:00-08:002017-10-12T16:17:27-07:00'Tis the season for giving!Jonathon James
A few weeks ago we received a heartfelt thank you letter from Betty Black, who was writing from TERRACE RIDGE ASSISTED LIVING in Gastonia, North Carolina. She wrote to us because her son and family had sent her our delicious ChocoRocks as care package and she wanted to let our Joe know how much she enjoyed them and how wonderfully made they were. She had taken the time to write to us and praise our candy so Joe wanted to send her and the whole assited living community our ChocoRocks for all to enjoy!

She promptly wrote us another heartfelt thank you letter with a little bit of a background on her story and how thankful she was to have this candy, she felt like Joe was Santa and Christmas had arrived early! She could not wait to think of a grand idea of how to distribute these chocolate presents to her community within Terrace Ridge.

This warmed our hearts and we wanted to share with you her thank you letter and a symbol of the state she is coming from.

It goes to show you a little goes a long way and no good deed goes without appreciation. This holiday season take the time to look around and notice the blessings we all have in our lives and how we can help to spread those blessings from coast to coast. Please feel free to share with us your stories and how our candy has helped bring smilies to your loved ones around the country. Candy translates into every language and while it may be a sweet treat it can also make someones day/month/year!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we thank our fans for sticking by us and look forward to the stories you share! Gobble Gobble! :)

In recent reports from the Natural Resources Defense Council and HarvardLawSchool's Food Law and Policy Clinic that the American consumer is wasting millions of pounds of food every year, based on these dated products.

Food dating has never been apart of the FDA requirements except when it comes to infant formula which has caused the start of the confusion on the labels. With no real regulation the food manufacturers and different states can come up with their own laws for different product regulations on every product made. Causing even more confusion!

Well Doug Rauch, the former Trader Joe's President, has come up with an idea to stop this confusion and is opening a store in Massachusetts that sells these "out of date products"

Rauch described the store as a “kind of a hybrid between a grocery store and a restaurant, if you would, because primarily it’s going to take this food in, prep it, cook it [for] what I call speed-scratch cooking.” The prices of the food will “compete with fast food.” Asked if the food is safe to eat, Rauch answered, “Absolutely. As a matter of fact, if you have a product that says ‘sell by Sept. 1’ or ‘Oct. 1’ and, you know, it’s Oct. 2, most customers don’t realize you can eat that.” (source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/10/former-trader-joes-president-opens-store-selling-expired-food/)

So what does, "best by", "use by", and "sell by" really mean?

Best by and Use by can be put in the same category and the dates are made by the manufacturer, stating when they think the product is at its peak of ripe/freshness. This date does not actually indicate a spoilage date or mean that the food is automatically "bad" after the date. For example at Kimmie Candy Company, we have a best by date which is dated out 18 months after the product is packaged, and the chocolate does not just magically go bad 18 months and 1 day later. We have consumed ChocoRocks a year or 2 or more after their best by date and they are just as tasty as they were the year before, granted they may not be as "fresh" but tasty non-the-less.

Sell by is truly a tool to help vendors and manufacturers in storing and shelving the products and to help push the products to the consumer at their peak and increase the demand of the product.

What it comes down to is the, "difference between food quality and food safety", Jena Roberts the vice president for businesss development at the food testing firm, National Food Lab states. (Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/19/health/sell-by-dates-waste-food/) Which ultimately lies on the consumer as to what tastes good. Using your own judgment sometimes is the key to consuming!

That is Kimmie Candy's Fun Fact Friday, we hope you have a great weekend and think twice before throwing away "expired" food!

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/biggest-little-candy-factory-free-tours2013-11-12T19:38:00-08:002017-10-12T16:12:55-07:00Biggest Little Candy Factory Free Tours!Jonathon James
Have you heard of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"?? Well we have our own Nevada Willy Wonka named Joe Dutra, and he & his staff give free factory tours here in Reno, NV!

The smell of the chocolate can be smelled from a mile away and the chocolate brown building in the middle of the industrial park with colored Kimmie Candy letters is hard to miss!

When you walk in you are greeted by whimsical art done by Joe's daughter Kat, and feature Kimmie Candy's mascot KC in various forms. You are treated to as many candy samples as you can handle and seated in the viewing room. There you can check out the history of Kimmie Candy and the process from the 10lb chocolate bar to the candy coated chocolate candy.

We then put on a movie which shows the history of chocolate incorporated with the full process of how Kimmie Candy is made from start to finish. Who knew a delicious ChocoRock takes around 56 hours to complete!!

To sign up for your free factory tour please call 775-284-9200 and say you would like to schedule a tour, they will get you set up from there. Keep in mind it is the "Biggest, Little" so allow for no more than 30 people as space is limited. The factory is also a peanut free and gluten free facility!

Here is Joe (Wonka) with some of his Ompa Lumpas! :) "Have a ChocoRockin' Day!"

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/fantasies-in-chocolate-20132013-11-09T13:12:00-08:002017-10-12T16:11:47-07:00Fantasies in Chocolate 2013Jonathon James
This year mark's Kimmie Candy Company's 5th year participating in the the great Fantasies in Chocolate Event thrown by the Reno Gazette-Journal!

One-hundred percent of net proceeds from Fantasies in Chocolate benefit the Reno Gazette-Journal Foundation, which awards grants to local non-profit organizations, with a focus on literacy and education. A big thank you to the Grand Sierra Resort for hosting the wonderful event!

It is always a fun event complete with black ties, wine, and samples from local vendors like Kimmie Candy; wine and chocolate, what could be better??

This year Kimmie Candy gave out samples of our newest products that are not even on the market yet! Our Xpresso ChocoRocks, Salted caramel, and dark chocolate pistachios! They were a hit and people kept coming back all night! People were also interested in our FREE factory tours and wanted to get their tour scheduled.

Joe, Sonia, and Alexis of the Kimmie Candy crew were there to serve and chat with the locals along with some help from Joe's friends, Steve Trollope and Randi Thompson. They had fun chattting with everyone and said one of the highlights of the night was when a magician who presented his business card that was black , then it burst into flames, very cool!

Alexis, Joe, Sonia having fun at Fanstasties in Chocolate! Make sure to come out next year!

This was his first time stomping grapes and he ended up in 2nd place! He was challenged by his personal trainer and sponsoered BEE Fit Team owner Bryan & his son Joey Ediem, and decided he would give Bryan who is the raining 8 year champ, a run for his money.

Joe states, "Bryan convinced me it would be a good workout and fun. So I stomped, you know he is my personal trainer so a few grape skins under the toenails must be good for you right ? "

How the contest works is, you stand in a wooden wine barrel filled with 20 lbs of wine grapes grown by the local owners of the Eldorado Casino. You get 3 mins to stomp and try to get as much grape juice as you can to flow from the plastic pipe at the bottom of the barrel into a plastic jug. Each contestent is required to have a mucker who quickly cleans the seeds and grape skins so the juice known as the "muck" so it can flow into the plastic jug. Joe says he had a few secrets that helped him along the way, but will keep those to himself for next year!

Bryan Ediem ended up winning with a total of 8.7 lbs of juice stomped and Joe was in 2nd place with a total of 4.7 lbs! Here they are- Bryan, Joey, and Joe:

Maybe Joe can take note from the famous Lucy and take 1st place next year!

We wanted to check in with you and give you a catch up on a few changes at Kimmie Candy! I (Kelli Post) have moved back to my home in CA but am still apart of this amazing Kimmie Candy family just remotely! Sonia Griffin has stepped up to the plate to replace me at the Retail and Wholesale position and she is doing fabulous! For all of your retail and wholesale needs you may contact her at sonia@kimmiecandy.com or 775-284-9200

We are also getting ready to open up a second factory that will be Organic! Stay tuned for opening details and when the organic products will be available for purchase! On top of a new organic factory we have new Kimmie Candy candies on the horizon, all chocolate covered centers of course. Including pistachios & espresso beans! YUM

Thank you for your continued support and interest in Kimmie Candy Company! And don't forget to shop our website for our monthly and weekly specials!! www.shopkimmiecandy.com

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/playing-catch-up-at-kimmie-candy2013-07-11T08:01:00-07:002017-10-12T16:01:57-07:00Playing catch up at Kimmie CandyJonathon James
Good morning Kimmie Candy Fans!

As our last post mentioned it has been a busy time of year here at Kimmie Candy Company which is great for business but bad for our social media fans.

Here is a little run down of what has been happening, we are launching 3 new products by the end of the year and they are so new I can not tell you what they are but chocolate covered deliciousness! We will keep our fans posted as they become available so please keep you eye out, trust me they are GOOOOOOOD!

Our Joe is leaving for Mexico with Governor Sandoval for another trade mission this month and we can not wait to see what news he comes back with! And of course we will have pictures upon his arrival.

We are continuing to run our monthly specials on our retail website so make sure to check us out each month: www.shopkimmiecandy.com

As always, we are here for our fans so please feel free to contact us with any questions and/or comments: 775-284-9200 or info@kimmiecandy.com

"Have a ChocoRockin' Day"

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/march-april-madness2013-05-02T15:19:00-07:002017-10-12T16:01:18-07:00March & April MADNESS!Jonathon James
Kimmie Candy has been quite busy lately~ from opening a new organic factory later this year, to being featured on many news networks including Fox News Network & CNBC!

We have had a countless number of tours coming through of facilities from Preschoolers, High Schoolers, to out of towners! It has been busy but fun keeping up!

Kimmie Candy has also gone to two trade shows this year, the Winter Fancy Food Show and the Natural Products West Expo, where we have met 100's of new customers and have introduced ourselves to new markets.

We are getting ready for the biggest expo in the candy business hosted by the NCA - National Confectionery Association called the Sweets & Snacks Expo hosted in the city that started candy, Chicago! There we plan to expand our customer base even wider and show our newest candy Chocolate covered pistachios!

We thank all of our current Kimmie Candy fans for their support as we continue to grow and look forward to meeting our new fans all around the world!

Here's to an even busier May! :)

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/joe-amp-john-dutra-featured-on-our-local-reno-news-amp-review2013-05-02T14:43:00-07:002017-10-12T16:00:06-07:00Joe & John Dutra featured on our local Reno News & ReviewJonathon James
Chocolate rocks

On a leisurely drive through the doldrums of Reno’s industrial district, tucked away behind the airport, the sights are lackluster at best. With bleak business buildings lining the streets—a random turn onto Reactor Way sprouts a surprising oasis. Or maybe it’s just a trick of the eye. After all, you’re driving through high desert and may not have chugged enough water. But no, that’s not your imagination deceiving you, like a lone flower—more precisely, a sunflower—standing triumphant among its barren desert landscape, springs the bright and colorful building known as Kimmie Candy Company.

While the name may not ring a bell, the candy itself might. Those cutely packaged ChocoRocks-multi-colored chunks of milk chocolate shaped like, well, rocks—that can be found filling both national and international store shelves, stem from right here in Reno.

The ChocoRocks may be the most widely recognized, but it’s the company’s chocolate-coated sunflower seeds, the favorite of Dutra himself, that started it all.

Originally in the agriculture business, Dutra worked on a farm, growing and selling hybrid vegetables—which he then named after members of his family and friends.

The idea to switch from greens to cocoa transpired, Dutra says, by accident. “My friend brought in a sack of chocolate-coated sunflower kernels he was trying to sell to me, and I thought, ’This is healthy, recession proof, and a business that just keeps growing … I think I’ll start a candy company.’” And so he did.

The Kimmie Candy brand came to Dutra over a martini brainstorm.

“I said I was going to call it Gimmie Candy,” Dutra reminisces, ’And my wife’s girlfriend said, ’You name everything else after your friends and family—why not the company?’ And her name was Kim. So I said, ’All right. Kimmie Candy!’”

Kimmie Candy has its original roots in Sacramento Valley, where the Dutras were farmers, and the landscape was appropriate for growing produce. Chocolate, however, not so much. First trying their hands as oversea manufacturers in Korea, after 9/11, Dutra made the decision to move his company to the U.S. And after some deliberation, Reno won out.

“We needed a dry climate for our product because we have to control the humidity and temperature very closely,” says John Dutra, the company’s general manager and Joe Dutra’s son. “With Reno being so dry, it’s much easier to remove the moisture out of the air than somewhere in Sacramento.” Reno also has the benefit of being within a day’s transportation of Kimmie’s main chocolate supplier, Blommer Chocolate, located in the Bay Area.

Candy landBeing able to provide local jobs in a bad economy was also important to Dutra, and ultimately impacted his decision to move his business to U.S. soil. The company’s modest beginnings included a staff of seven. And now boasts 29 employees, a number that’s continually growing, along with the company itself.

Gov. Brian Sandoval is a fan. With Kimmie Candy donating 3,000 bags of candy to the Governor’s Mansion for Halloween trick-or-treaters, they’ve also earned the title, “Official Candy of the Governor.”

“He has our silver ChocoBars on his desk,” says Dutra. “And we presented him with a Nevada container filled with our chocolate.”

Sandoval recently took Dutra, along with other leaders in Nevada’s business community, on the governor’s trade mission to China. The opportunity was led by the governor to encourage Nevada companies to export their products to China.

“In December, we sold our first candy into Hong Kong, from Reno,” Dutra says proudly, of the distribution destination being added to a list that already includes Canada, Mexico, the Philippines and the Middle East.

Looks like that slogan, “The Biggest Little Candy Company in the Biggest Little City,” is earning its chocolate coins.

So how do you sample some of this world traveled chocolate right here in Reno? Other than its major distributors—which include Winco, Cost Plus, Raley’s and Sweet Factory—the best place to taste it is at the source.

The factory, at 525 Reactor Way, may not feature a velvet-clad man in a top hat and an entourage of Oompa-Loompas, but it does have a vibrant atmosphere of candy-covered walls in the gift shop, as well as the option of an approximately 20-minute tour.

The tour, open to both the public and private groups on a call-ahead basis, can be done five days a week. Opening with product samples, the guide then takes viewers on a trip through the land of Kimmie Candy past—featuring the original packaging of the very first product—then through the doors of the actual factory, where the magic of chocolate—from the arrival process, to the chocolate belt, to the spray paint coating of the chocolate shell, can be witnessed. Viewers can experience the company’s specialty chocolate, named Reactor after the street on which the factory is located, get melted down. A hybrid in itself, Reactor was created through many taste tests (and probably a few stomach aches).

“We spent years developing a custom chocolate,” John Dutra explains. “It’s not too sweet, the emphasis is on the cocoa. So the sugar shell complements it really well.”

The swirling vats of multicolored chocolate are the most mesmerizing to watch, a collection which includes 20 different shades—contributing to the coats of products such as Sunbursts (their staple chocolate coated sunflower seeds), ChocoRocks (their best-seller), Kettle Corn Nuggets (chocolate toasted corn nuts) and ChocoAlmonds—as well as a variety of holiday mixes. The final product is as appealing visually as it is on the taste buds.

“We’re going for overall quality,” says John Dutra, of the aesthetic of the candy shell, to the nut or chocolate inside. “It’s much more fun—look at it next to a bag of M&M’s.”

And the tour’s aroma of toasted almonds and melted cocoa is just an added perk.

While Kimmie does approximately 15 tours a month, like the business itself, they’d like to see that number grow.

“Reno will be seeing much more of us,” John Dutra says. “We want people to know that there is a candy manufacturer here, and that they can come visit us.”

What to Cut: Striking subsidies could save billions

Joe Dutra has defied the trend of American confectioners and candy makers who've moved abroad to escape the U.S. government's regime of sugar subsidies.

After moving his Kimmie Candy Company back to the United States from South Korea, he's now operating a $4 million-$5 million business in Reno, Nev.

But, he said, "when coming back to the United States, I found out that I was paying up to 90 percent more for sugar in the last few years."

Sugar is just one commodity whose price is hugely inflated in the United States because of what critics call an outdated system of subsidies and price supports. The subsidies take the form of direct payments to farmers that cost taxpayers billions -- as well as restrictions on imports and how much can be grown, and other regulations that raise prices.

"It's ridiculous," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a frequent critic of subsidies. "We're losing candy manufacturers in America because the price of sugar is four to six times higher here than it is anywhere else in the world."

Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, called it "an old Soviet-style command and control process."

He adds that many domestic manufacturers use different sweeteners in their products to remain competitive in light of sugar's artificially high price. "They contain high-fructose corn syrup or in some cases they contain organic sugar which will raise the price of the product because the sugar program is simply too costly," he said.

Subsidies have their roots in the Great Depression, when drought devastated farming. But eight decades later, critics say they are grossly outdated. Government-imposed subsidies raise the price of many commodities.

Dairy price supports cost taxpayers $1.1 billion a year. They include a quaint, but expensive, provision dating back to the 1930's called "milk marketing orders," which originally restricted how far milk could be transported from farm to market to prevent spoilage. Today, refrigerated trucking invalidates that concern. "There are fewer milk marketing orders, but they still exist," Schatz said.

Another subsidy, on peanuts, costs taxpayers $55 million every year. Peanuts can be grown in a wide range of climates, but the government restricts their planting to a few, mostly southern, states.

"There is no reason why peanuts can't be grown everywhere. It would certainly lower the price to consumers and taxpayers, and yet it's another example of a very small group of farmers having an oversized influence on Congress," Schatz said.

Defenders of the subsidies make a strong case for their preservation. "Other governments are subsidizing their farmers at a much greater percentage than our government is, so we feel like, in order for our farmers to be able to compete worldwide, we need to have some government support," said Mary Kay Thatcher, of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Still, the cost-cutting pressures that pervade Washington nowadays may force changes to the system.

"I think when we write that farm bill this year you will see some real changes in the way those subsidies are administered," Thatcher said.

But if such changes occur, they'll have to surmount a formidable obstacle on Capitol Hill. Representatives from any farming region that benefits from one subsidy often vote with members from another region that profits from a different subsidy. Alone, the regional interests carry little power. Together, they wield the kind of influence that has distorted market prices for more than 80 years.

Kimmie Candy has had a full house lately from the recent tour from Congressman Amodei, to Senator Reid’s respective staff members and now Senator Dean Heller.

Joseph Dutra, President & CEO of Kimmie Candy Company, extended an invitation to all of his state and local lawmakers to tour Kimmie Candy Company- The Biggest Little Candy Company In The World to talk about the Farm Bill and the Sugar Reform Act and how it effects Nevada food manufacturers.

He was intrigued to find that both the Congressman and the Senator did not know much about the Sugar Reform Act/Farm Bill 2012, which affects all candy manufacturers and food companies whose use sugar in their products in the USA. Nevada of course does not grow sugar beets but it’s representatives vote on the bills.

The Sugar Reform Act artificially keeps the price of sugar high in the USA, as the world price of sugar is significantly lower. This causes an unfair playing ground for American companies to compete with imports and sales outside the US and with other North American countries. Joe stated the pricing advantage that companies manufacturing confections or bakery goods in countries outside the USA are receiving much lower world sugar pricing, at $0.19/lb while American companies are left paying on average $0.50/lb + and this allows them to compete on an uneven playing field against American manufactures like Kimmie Candy and other US based food manufactures creating American job.

Photo gallery Joseph Dutra, Senator Dean Heller, and John Dutra take a tour of Kimmie Candy

With the new year, new candy as our last post I thought it would stay on the "new" theme and show you our new Wedding/Party Program!

Our program offers a chance for customers to leave the stress of finding the perfect party favor behind! Trust us to help make your wedding/party a great success & leave guests with memorable and tasty favor to take home.

We currently offer 3 types of packaging (as you will see below) and still looking to add and develop the program.

We offer 24 different colors of our ChocoAlmonds, 18 different colors of our Sunbursts, and 8 different colors of our Gemstones ChocoRocks. All of our candy is peanut free, gluten free, and kosher dairy.

Feel free to contact myself, Kelli Post with any questions!

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/new-year-new-candy2013-01-04T08:11:00-08:002017-10-12T15:41:28-07:00New Year, New Candy!Jonathon James
Happy New Year Kimmie Candy fans!

Just last month we finalized our labels for our new candy, DateMe's! (picture at the bottom) They are delicious pieces of dates coated with our special blend of chocolate, topped with candy shell!

How did we come up with the DateMe's one might ask, well working at a candy company gives you plenty opportunity for creative thoughts...chocolate covered _______ fill in the blank. The trick is, it needs to be gluten free, peanut free, and kosher dairy. We finally came up with a chocolate covered date from Shields Date Garden in Indio, California!

The naming of a product is even trickier though, you want something catchy, that explains the candy, and that is not trademarked already. Can you say difficult?? But just as Kimmie Candy got it's name, Joe our Kimmie Candy President/CEO turned to a social setting to decide a candies name. Sitting on a beach in Maui with some of his best friends & wife eating the new candy, everyone trying to think how you could get someone to try the new candy and the light bulb went off, Date Me...DateMe's! And the question became "Do you want to DateMe?"

He then called into the office to share his wonderful idea and of course we all thought it was cute, catchy, & fun! And that is how DateMe's became the newest member of the Kimmie Candy family :)

Joe and I (Kelli) were happy to be apart of Reno's first ever, Buy Local Marketplace at the Reno Automobile Museum two weekends ago!

It was a great experience to see all of the local vendors come together for a great cause: think local, buy local! Keeping everything you can in your community is a great idea and we are happy to be apart of this growing Reno community!

We had such a fun day meeting new customers, fulfilling their holiday needs, as well as inviting all them to tour our factory. We even ran out of some product and Joe had to go back to Kimmie Candy to replenish us!

All and all it was a successful event and we can't wait for the next Think Local, Buy Local Marketplace!

Check out this article by Channel 2 News, I was interviewed and it played on the local 11 o'clock news!

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https://kimmiecandy.com/blogs/news/kimmie-candy-featured-in-the-las-vegas-review-journal2012-11-05T09:02:00-08:002017-10-12T15:38:33-07:00Kimmie Candy featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal!Jonathon James

Governor sweet on Reno candy company

CATHLEEN ALLISON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Gov. Brian Sandoval hands out Halloween candy Wednesday at the Governor's Mansion in Carson City. Reno-based Kimmie Candy donated 3,000 bags of candy to be handed out to the thousands of trick-or-treaters. Other local businesses also donated candy.

CARSON CITY - The 3,000 bags of Halloween candy that Gov. Brian Sandoval handed out Wednesday night to trick-or-treaters at the Governor's Mansion weren't Snickers or M&Ms or something made in Hershey, Pa.

Instead, the governor - on Nevada's 148th anniversary of admission into the union - handed out bags of ChocoRocks and Sunbursts donated by the Kimmie Candy Co. of Reno.

"I am looking forward to enjoying a few ChocoRocks myself," Sandoval said before he and his wife, Kathleen, were bombarded by hordes of scary-looking children in costumes.

Nevada governors have handed out candy on Halloween for generations.

Kimmie Candy has become the favored candy of the Sandoval administration, with the governor offering samples of silvery chocolates to visitors to his office. Kimmie owner Joe Dutra accompanied Sandoval on his trade mission to China in October and successfully completed a deal to sell candy in Hong Kong.

"Candy is universal," an energetic Dutra said Tuesday as he moved around dozens of huge pans where candy was being swirled in his factory near the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. "Sugar is the only craving you are born with. Kids love sweet things. Everybody loves candy. You eat it when you are in love. You eat it when you are depressed. It's part of all of our holidays."

It also is recession-proof. Kimmie Candy makes about 9,000 pounds of candy a day. The company has been growing 30 percent a year since Dutra relocated it from Sacramento, Calif., to Reno in 2007. He is finishing plant expansion now and anticipates he will need a larger building in 18 months.

As the father of now-grown children who trick-or-treated, Dutra knows the concerns of parents who worry their children will eat too much Halloween candy.

"Parents need to be cautious," he said. "When my kids came home from trick-or-treating, they would have 50 pounds. I made a decision. For the next 48 hours you can eat all you want. Eat it for breakfast. But after two days, you are done with it. After about 30 hours, the kids would come and say 'Take it all away.' "

And despite a policy that allows his 28 employees to eat as much candy as they want while on the job, none of the employees would be classified as obese or even overweight.

Dutra himself, at age 60, is trim and athletic, as are his adult children, John and Kathryn, who help run the family business. Just eat candy in moderation, Dutra said.

Sunbursts are about as healthy a candy as one could get, he said, describing them as chocolate-covered sunflower kernels. ChocoRocks are the company's best-seller. They are little pieces of coated chocolate that resemble tiny rocks.

Dutra grew up eating Hershey's bars. And he personally sampled dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces of candy before selecting each variety to be sold by Kimmie Candy. He prefers a less sweet chocolate, one that emphasizes the cocoa.

Before getting in the candy business, Dutra was a successful agribusinessman in Sacramento, where he still grows sugar beets.

In the 1980s, he became senior agronomist for a wheat-farming operation in Saudi Arabia. He also was one of the founders of Westec Inc., a company that educated farmers in Brazil on growing tomatoes and developed into an international seed business. Its hybrid corn now is sold in Russia, Moldova, Egypt and other countries.

Dutra named some of his vegetable creations after friends. The Kimmie name comes from the name of a girlfriend of his wife.

Dutra was only a candy eater in 2000 when a business friend offered him a good deal on a 40,000-pound container of chocolate that had been shipped from Korea to California.

He quickly read books on Hershey's and Mars and learned about the candy business.

Then he told his wife, " 'Honey, I think I am going into the candy business.' I figured if I ever went broke, I would be able to eat the 40,000 pounds."

Although Sunburst won industry taste awards in 2003, Kimmie Candy was a relatively small company. Then it relocated to Reno.

"We are proud to be in Nevada," Dutra said. "The smartest move I ever made was moving to Nevada. I was ticked off by the red tape in California. There is a 9.5 percent personal income tax in California. They also nickel-and-dime you in California."

The regulations are fewer and taxes lower in Nevada than in California. Taxes are low enough in Nevada that Dutra said he would not mind paying slightly higher taxes if needed for the good of the state.

"I'm for as low of taxes as possible. But we also have to support our communities," he said.

Dutra attributes his success on the trade mission to China largely to the presence of Sandoval. The governor gave the mission credibility among the Chinese.

"People were willing to talk with you. We should be selling candy in Hong Kong. It's a global economy. That's what we need to do," Dutra said.

With today’s deal for distribution in China, Kimmie Candy is becoming a major exporter in Nevada, with significant business also in Canada, Mexico, the Philippines and the Middle East. Kimmie Candy is the maker of ChocoRocks, which won the prestigious Candy Grammy product of the year award

Governor’s Trade Mission to the People’s Republic of China, organized by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development with support from Asian Chamber of Commerce leaders, is focused on identifying opportunities for Nevada companies to export their products and services to China’s markets and encourage Chinese investment in Nevada. This is an historic trade mission because it is the first that a Nevada governor has led to China

Kimmie Candy Company is happy to be trading to more and more countries as we grow as a company, but one thing that will remain- being 100% American made and proud of it!

Who is getting excited for Halloween time?? I know I sure am, when I was a kid it was one of my favorite holidays as it marked the start of the holiday season.

I used to go trick or treating with my sister and cousins every year and boy did we get A LOT of candy!! I generally like most candy, but for some reason I HATE Reese's peanut butter cups so my mom would selflessly eat them for me :)

I know that if Kimmie Candy was around when I was a kid, I would have gone crazy for the ChocoRocks! They are my personal favorite out of all the varieties of candy we offer. The crunch of the candy shell and the special blend of chocolate it covers, just melts in my mouth and I love every bit of it!

This month ChocoRocks and Sunbursts on sale for all of your trick or treater needs:24 for $2.62!

Hello everyone, my name is Kelli Post and I am the new Retail/Wholesale Manager at Kimmie Candy Company.

I am from Sacramento where Joe Dutra our business owner is from, I graduated last December with a Major in Liberal Studies and a minor in History. I planned on being a teacher, but with the way things worked out I moved to Reno and applied at Kimmie Candy. I couldn't be happier with how things worked out!

I handle all of our retail orders as well as qualify customers on our wholesale website, an added bonus to my job duties is scheduling and giving tours of our factory! That's right folks, if you want a tour of our candy factory call or email me 775-284-9200 or kelli@kimmiecandy.com

I will be updating our fans as Kimmie Candy is expanding not only in our facilities but with our candy being shipped all over the world! Stay tuned!!